The black haired mage looks around Hargeon in a bit of disbelief. Fairy Tail didn't seem like a guild for her. It seemed a tad too crowded and 'cuddly' to her. Legal guilds seemed to have too many rules that she would break without even trying too. Dark guilds... just seem too dark for even her sometimes. She grabs her flask and tips it up as she looks around the port town closest to the Fairy Tail guild city. The only other guild there was was the West Fiore Trading Company. "I might get better luck there..." She stashes the flask on her hip in it's own little pouch, and wanders around. Traveling would be so much better if she didn't get so motion sick from riding vehicles... maybe she should see about getting an exceed to be her companion? Like one would accept her.

Maybe going to a tavern would warrant her luck on finding someone who knew anything about the other guild. Adalinda makes her way around when someone bumped into her, making her grunt and growl a bit. "Hey! Watch it!" She glares her ice blue eyes at the man who passed, who seemed a bit scared at her cold gaze, before hurrying off. "Annoying prick..." She grumbles to herself and shakes her head. The streets were seeming a tad too crowded now too. What was up with people crowding together? She makes her way to the docks and looks out around the waters quietly. "Blah... boats are terrible..." She squats down after climbing up onto a wall, and observes the people looking around while she was flipping a little kunai in her hands. She guessed she looked a little threatening sitting there doing what she was, but she at least knew she wasn't going to harm anyone, not unless they started it.

"Now... just where to go to find someone of that Trading Company guild...?" She mumbles to herself while flipping her little tool in her hands still, not taking her eyes off of the people working down on the docks to load boats and the like. "It wouldn't be so close to Fairy Tail... so probably not here... And I don't remember their stupid Guild Mark too... but watch, the moment I see it, I'll know it..." A chuckle was at the back of the girls throat as she hangs her head. "Jeez... Pathetic." She grumbles to herself.

"Careful with those, the lacrima are fragile !" Johann shouted over to a man in a white uniform who had just picked up a crate of wares, bending a little under its weight and making a face while stumbling around a bit, prompting the normally relatively reserved mage to get a little nervous with the West Fiore Trading Company employee. "My friend" he placed his hands on the man's shoulder as the other put down the crate, somewhat exhausted and heavily breathing "you might want to get help with that" he commented before smiling at the other sinisterly and continuing "if you break it, I'll make sure to let the CEO know who trashed the client's wares, not to mention that it would naturally come out of your pay". The worker apologized profusely before running off, looking for someone to help with the crate. Johann sighed. It's not like the Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company necessarily enjoyed reprimanding like that, but it was part of his duties to make sure the wares were delivered to the client in their entirety and without damage. After all, the West Fiore Trading Company had managed to build up a spotless reputation in Fiore and he wasn't gonna be the one to change that. Not this side of him, at least.

He stepped away from the ship and down the docks, his rapier dangling side to side on his belt as his shoes created a crunching sound on the wet layer of dirt on the cobblestone of the dock. He was dressed in one of his more pompous and exotic uniforms now that he was dealing with a client, dress to impress as they say, covered in a tight, white formal shirt that emphasized the mans slender, yet muscular physique, a white, thick coat with grey decorations over that, his company pin tucked into the left side of his uniform right above his heart, its usual place, and lastly a pair of formal white pants with a pair of grey leather shoes, his guild mark shining on his right hand in a light grey. Leaving the dock and setting his feet on the streets of Hargeon he saw what he was looking for at a nearby bench, a man in a black suit and waving him over, accompanied by two brutish men that looked like they might have had just a little too much exercise, easily towering over both Johann and his client. He knew that dealing with clients directly was more one of Ruvel's strengths, and he didn't look forward to talking to the other, but this, too, was one of the duties he had as a representative and official of the Company, reluctantly making his way over to the men, careful to not show any of his dislike, approaching with a friendly and warm smile before giving his client a deep and respectful bow.

"Good morning Mr. Glass, I am very pleased to see you here. I do hope you had an enjoyable journey from Magnolia ?" he asked the man before standing up straight, the two goons in his company staring down on him with bored, almost indifferent expressions while their boss stretched out a hand towards the West Fiore Trading Company Mage, Johann taking it and eagerly shaking it."Eh, was alright. Forgive me the informal meeting, but" the other took off his sunglasses and smiled back "as a renown businessman I'd prefer this over a private meeting for ... security reasons. I'm certain you understand". "Most certainly, good sir" Johann's hand met each other as he continued to smile at the other "Now, I had the workers deliver the wares to your storage hall. I do hope everything will be to your satisfaction" , the other nodded, replying simply with "Has there ever been a time when that wasn't the case ?" before he laughed out loudly, prompting a few passerbys to turn their head for him ."Thank you" he stretched out his hand one more time and Johann shook it. "The West Fiore Trading Company thanks you" he gave back before once more raising his right hand to his chest and bowing respectfully before excusing himself with "At your service" as the other turned around and was undoubtedly heading for his warehouse where the wares would be stored, the two grunts following him closely.

Johann sighed once again before turning around once more. The other, Mr. Glass, was a businessman through and through and one of the trading companies valued clients, and while some people would regard him as somewhat dubious he was an honest merchant at his core, embracing his reputation as he was obsessed with security. Johann shrugged internally. It was not like the other was a bad man or anything of the sort, he was just one of the more ... extraordinary people the WFTC was doing business with. Regardless, he made his way back to the docks, heading for the ship to go and get a bit of rest before they would leave for Divide Island tomorrow. He didn't like traveling by ship too much these days as he regarded it as inefficient with his ability to teleport pretty much anywhere where there was wind, but he couldn't really be everywhere at the same time or move an excessive amount of wares, so ships where a necessity not just for him, but also a vital part the Company as well. He got closer to where the large vessel of the West Fiore Trading Company was ankered, the crew would have shore leave for the rest of today and tomorrow when their work was finished, noticing someone sitting there on a wall, playing with a ... knife of sorts ? He had never seen something like that before, but she seemed to stare at the Company's ship for some reason. Johann was a little suspicious of that and got closer, holding his hands behind his back before addressing the peculiar black and blue haired woman in a friendly tone, smiling as he spoke.

The firm connection between a slayer and his exceed scarcely ever contribute to the dullness of ordinary life - it's often mutually agreed by both parties that their lives were far better off once they had partnered, days now being largely thrilling, boundaries being torn apart as sky travel becomes anything but a luxury.

There was something about this almost ancient form of symbiosis between the two entirely different species that warranted an indispensable amount of trust, regardless of the circumstance.

However, not every slayer or exceed were exempt from a slight distaste for their partner when the situation called for it. More so for Meilin, of whose patience was wiring thin as she hoisted her 'master' up beyond the clouds.

"Harumph..." she mumbled, her face puffed up in aversion.

Given the state of things at the current moment, the black exceed wouldn't have normally held unto the grump in her expression with such a passion. She was, truthfully, an exceed who was no different from the rest of her kin. Though unvoiced, Meilin fostered an affection for her slayer friend that was befitting of her compassionate character, as she liked to address herself. And while it was perhaps a far too pretentious thought, it wasn't necessarily untrue. If there was anything that Xiao Jing's eccentric tendencies demanded, it was an above-average level of compassion that Meilin hadn't seen manifest in a normal human for a significant amount of time.

It was...just a special case in the handbook of 'How to Be a Good Exceed' that the slightly older exceeds liked to have on their shelves. While it had been Xiao Jing's physical body, it wasn't his consciousness, was anything but her lovable red-head. This one was not the jester who threw party bombs at people, nor was he the one who wasted away in his little 'projects' for several nights, only to come out covered in oil and smelling like metal, the victory in his face the only thing pure about his appearance.

This one, as he was, is a man named Marco. A redhead whom, in Meilin's experience, is an overbearing, stoic prick who has little to no interest in any sort of fun, having opted to focus on the boring, more technical aspects of life as a mortal.

Meilin didn't exactly loathe Marco, rather, her careless personality created an irrevocable friction when paired with his rational way of handling things - a match that has a large probability of sparking a heated argument at the wrong time. Though it was a relationship that wasn't going to progress, it needed to remain, for so long as Jing's condition persisted and thrived, so too, would Marco continue to inhabit this ginger's body as a fragmented portion of the slayer's being whenever he was needed.

The exceed could resent Marco for all eternity, but she could never forsake her master. And for what's left of it, this man was still him, albeit a shade duller than Xiao Jing's colorful scheme.

And it had been that way ever since, and is how things were then that very day. After Xiao Jing restlessly slaughtered his way into a frenzy back at Fat Monsterland, Marco forcibly crammed his way into activity, stabilizing whatever demons his host was about to unleash as a means to keep the fugs off his (their) butt, and the council off his (their) head.

Seven days, Marco thought, bemused, perhaps realizing that it was by far the longest time he's been active, and in essence, also means that Jing's bloodlust was nearing a critical high, should he not have intervened at the last minute. It wouldn't be another full day until his host exhausted most of that murderous drive, so he might as well make the most of it.

Perhaps his current agenda would manage most, if not all the future instabilities in Jing's mental state. Marco could only hope for the best possible outcome at this point.

"So where to, ol' fancy hat?" Meilin quipped, visibly restless with the sheer lack of party bombs as of late.

Marco involuntarily pulled at the rim of his fedora, casting a dark shadow over his steely blue stare, one that probed at the docks of Hargeon with incredible interest, "I appreciate the compliment fluffy cheeks, but we've ought to land by the port over there if we want to get this over with."

The exceed made a face that appeared none too delighted at the prospect of more mundane work, but would later decide to follow the prompt anyway, flapping her wings once to remind herself that, as she had been told last night, it won't be very long until her original master returned to his senses. It was only a matter of patience, she thought, priding herself on her tenacity as she regularly did.

"So what's so special about this town?" Meilin asked, her body swiveling to the right to avoid a seagull, although it was much to her disappointment to discover that she'd be doing it more than once, for a whole flock of them seemingly invaded the seas beneath them.

"And why are there so many birds?!" she hissed, twisting to an uncomfortable angle just so Marco could avoid an unnecessary mouth-to-beak session with one of the local gulls.

The slayer dug his gloved fingers into the material of his hat, peeling off his head lest the buzzing flock of birds warrant him a record for animal abuse should the fedora leave the safety of his person and into the hungry waters below.

"Apart from the birds there's ptftft-,"

"Eh? What?" the exceed said, a thin brow arching over in confusion.

"Pleh! F*ck this hair! Cazzo!"

Marco could feel the blood immediately rush to his face as he tore the hair locks from his mouth, chewing on the inside of his cheek as a reminder to limit his swearing habit to a bear minimum. Having rid of the hair problem, the slayer manages to dodge any other question or insult that his feline companion might have cooked up in his moment of indecency, layering out the answer she sought for earlier as plainly as he could.

"Jing needs a limiter, something that would restrict his involvement in violent murder sprees." he said, straightening his collar for good measure. "I hope that the likes of a guild or an association in need of subordinates would put him under watch."

Meilin flutters her wings inward, then out, bracing for their landing as she vaguely thought of her favorite red-head being ordered around. Her face scrunched up slightly. "Jing...? In a guild....?"

With the comforting flatness of the earth finally coming into contact with the soles of his shoes, Marco separates his person from the exceed's hold, stretching his taut shoulders as he, once again, sports his unnecessary hat. "Ridiculous, right? But that's why I'm looking for something on the neutral side of morality here, so he won't bore himself to death being a legal, or get lost in blood baths by going dark. Hargeon is one of the many places I wish to begin looking for such a group."

The exceed, though still heavily doubtful that her master would feel positive of the prospect, decides to rest atop of Marco's left shoulder, her tail curling in a crude imitation of a question mark. "I dunno....but if you think it will work..."

"I'll make it work." he said, the striking brevity of his statement seemingly fit as a final say for the situation, silencing the both of them as they walked along Hargeon's docks. To him, it was more of an encouragement rather than a moment of pride. Surely, he must do everything in his current realm of power to keep Xiao Jing under management. It was not because he hated being active, but him being present meant that his host's sanity was continually regressing. Even he, whose existence was slightly more transient than that of Jing's, knew it was not a good sign.

As he collected his thoughts, Marco briefly recalled a business man whom he toasted a drink to the other night, his robust figure shining from the success of his recent trade plot. If his memory served him right, the man had mentioned a trading guild of sorts, who were especially diligent whenever their services were sought.

"Hmm..." he whispered, stroking his chin as he walked several steps more, "It's a good start."

There was very little detail to mull over however, and knowing he had no grounds as to where this guild might've resided, Marco resolved to ask the closest stranger to him, which happened to be a very ornately dressed gentleman who stood no less than a few short breaths forward. His figure loomed over another person, a woman from the size of her frame, and they appeared to have only recently engaged in a conversation.

Though he didn't have the mouth to compliment it at this point, Marco had enough awareness (and decency) to mind his manners when interrupting an exchange between two people. Instead, he stood to one side, moving farther back a few steps, before sticking his back unto the slightly hot surface of the wall behind him. He'd produce a single cigar and a lighter from his pocket, ignoring the pointed looks he was getting from the 'cat' on his shoulder as he lit it on reflex. Satisfied with the soft tinkle coming from his lighter as he closed it, Marco gave himself the indulgence of a single puff, dully watching the arch of smoke bend and disperse.

Adalinda was just aimlessly looking out over the boats and the people on the dock. It wasn't entirely her fault that she was in the area for a certain boat to be in front of her. When she was approached by the man dressed quite well, and in white, Adalinda slowly stands up on the wall as she molded her knife away, showing she wasn't going to hurt anyone since he looked like he might berate her for using magic or seeming like she was targeting someone. She patted her skirt down and adjusted her mesh top. Did she look like she was that suspicious of a person or something? Of course she didn't think she looked that much like a thug, despite her dark clothing and bandaged up leg. With a shrug of her shoulders, Adalinda steps off of the wall casually and falls on the ground rather crudely on her feet. If one couldn't guess already, she was pretty much a tomboy, regardless of the fact she was wearing a skirt. She moves her arms to rest behind her head while eyeing him over briefly. Could this guy help her out? He certainly looked spiffy enough to. She was gonna try her luck with him. Her hands drop to her sides and she perked an eyebrow while cocking her head to the side a bit.

"Yeah. I'm trying to look for a guild. West Fiore Trading Company. Mind telling me where I can go and see if they'll let me join? Or know someone who could get me in? Already tried Fairy Tail, but they... Oye... They're just too much for me." A snort escapes her as she shrugs her shoulders once more.

The mage blinks and looks back as she smelled some smoke coming from somewhere behind her. It was messing with her nose a bit. Her eyes locked on someone smoking a cigar not too terribly far from them. With a low growl, the mage gives the person an icy glare and runs a hand through her hair. "Oye! Mind directing that smoke elsewhere? Some people have sensitive noses here." She rolls her eyes and turns to look back at the older guy who was in front of her. She had grabbed her flask again and opened it before putting it under her nostrils. It wasn't too strong of an alcohol to make her reek of it, but it was just enough for her to block out the smoke smell temporarily.

Johann, his eyes resting on the, as he saw it, somewhat suspicious, yet passive girl as she made her way off the wall, hitting the ground in a not ungraceful, yet crude way, smirked a little as the other opened her mouth to respond to his question, hearing that she was, coincidentally, looking for the West Fiore Trading Company or somebody who could "get her in". Johann held back his laughter as she turned to another, somewhat dubious person nearby, scolding the man for smoking before starting to drink from what was, judging by the smell, a flask of alcohol. The elder male sighed, looking at the sky. It was barely noon, but he couldn't blame her, for he too enjoyed a good glass of wine frequently, but still, she wouldn't exactly be advantaged in what was to come while drunk, or at least that's what he thought.

"It appears that you have more luck than manners" he grinned, giving the girl a friendly smile, looking over to the red headed man before shifting his eyes back to the woman with the ebony hair. "May I introduce myself" the man raised his right hand to his shoulder before bowing respectfully to the girl, standing up straight again before following up "Johann von Weiss, Vice President of the West Fiore Trading Company. I would assume that one would be me, then." , visibly amused at the girls reaction. "In general, the West Fiore Trading Company is always welcoming new members to it's ranks ... but", he continued, the smile on his face changing to a more serious expression "the WFTC is not an ordinary guild. We are a an organization that places great emphasis on both loyalty and competence, and so, everyone who wishes to apply for a position at the WFTC will receive a test to test resolve and both strength and determination."

The Vice President crossed his arms behind his back, his hands folding as he leaned forward addressing ,as he thought, not just the girl, but also the other man nearby who seemed to have taken an interest in what he had to say before he once more opened his mouth "If you would be interested in that, I'd be the one to issue you the test and, depending on the results, I will make sure to pass on your application to our CEO. I hope all question have been answered to your satisfaction, if not, I'm open to questions" he uttered before concluding "additionally, I want to present you with the option to prepare both mentally and physically for this test, as I have received the same opportunity. The ship to Divide Island, where the Headquarters of the West Fiore Trading Company is located, will leave tomorrow evening. You will have until then to pass your test." The Vice President took a deep breath and finished up his little monologue with a little sigh "Should you still want to pursue your path, I will now give you a task that you will have to complete: I want you to challenge me to a duel and fight me in single combat" he ended his speech, the welcoming smile finding its way back onto his face, a slightly sinister undertone mixing in.

As it was, Marco was a man none to foreign to the world of vice and the sort of people that you'd cross after engaging in that particular side of humanity, but only within good reason - most of the secrets that the day-lit world would turn their eyes against were kept by the dirtiest mouths, and in places where men moved in sketchy manners underneath neon lights, there was a lot more information to be known, more of the underground processes that were all but myths and riddles when the sun came up. There, stories came in raw, unhinged torrents, and it amused him in a way indescribable.

Rather than adopting an unholy addiction to them in general, Marco had accidentally manifested this fascination for the people involved, analyzing their characters, and picking their motives apart. It was an interest that someone other than him would have been alienated by, though there was the certainty than no one, apart from his host and the other alter Rory, who were even mildly aware of his strange pass-time and his fixation for the sort of things you'd hear from these parts of town.

What he was doing with the information, however, was an entirely different story for an entirely different time.

Nevertheless, it was in his best efforts to steer clear of acquiring a bad habit apart from the occasional one or two takes out of pure leisure. Considering how his current body houses two other entities, limitations were dutifully placed within his realm of thinking for their sake, lest they all suffer from the after effects. Hence his slightly dull affinity to vice...albeit with today's case being the one chance he gets to indulge. It appeared to have been against the will of the fates however, for him to be placed in a situation where someone openly expressed their distaste for Marco's action.

Great. Just great.

As if add insult to injury, the black exceed atop his shoulder snickered loudly into her paw, an expression meant to portray her satisfaction for the random lady's comment, and how pathetic Marco's face was at present, where he desperately tried to contain the rage that started to color his face in his characteristic, frustrated red. Later, after successfully strangling the beast known as anger management issues by its spindly neck, Marco cleared his throat, snuffing his cigar with the sole of his shoe once he had deftly extracted it from his fingers.

"Sorry, miss, carry on." he spoke, taking several slow strides towards the other direction as he edged his hat down to a tilt. Meilin quickly rolled her eyes in mute distaste, having expected an outburst that she could watch for her entertainment, only to have this polite retreat, and it bored her to an audible yawn, her eyes drooping quietly.

Perhaps they weren't the right people for his current endeavor, and if this were marginally close to the truth, then it was simple enough to execute a fair, easy exit with one step, two steps, three...

Then he stopped.

By a sheer stroke of luck, an indiscreet mention of the guild that he had originally settled on as the first search would escape the gentleman's mouth as he addressed the woman before him. There was a small indication that the man clad in white was aware of Marco's intentions to a certain degree, and while he initially avoided the subject of snooping, there was little to no escape from the clarity of the information being presented. Now that it was being said, hypothetically, to the both of them, it wasn't as devious of an act as it opted to be.

'A test?' he thought, squinting his eyes as he further listened to the information, fully angling his body in a manner that had him eyeing both strangers as they continued their exchange.

Once the notion of single combat as a preliminary was announced, Marco would have both brows raised in surprise, the shock stemming from the abruptness of the task. A fight? Now? There was no reason not to, though it was an outcome he largely did not expect.

Guilds aren't as linear as he initially thought they were.

He had little insight on the manner of this challenge as far as power levels were concerned, it seems. There could be a chance that the man was far more advanced in rank over him and the girl, but surely he'd be far more experienced to be handling the tests conducted for aspiring members.

To Marco, there didn't seem to be much of an option, and it was easy enough to agree to the terms in his thoughts, his body thrumming in the sounds of rising adrenaline. But the lady...he wasn't too sure about her response and whether or not she was up for it - though she appeared entirely capable of such, so perhaps it'd be same case?

"Hmm."

The slayer, driven by the impulse to suddenly act polite, shoved his hands down his pockets, retracing his position against the adjacent wall with a placid face. Marco would let the girl challenge the gentleman first, and he'd follow suite, unless of course, a situation would arise where he'd need to intervene.

The mage had given a short nod at the man who had been smoking not too far from them, and looked at the mage who had approached her once again. As soon as she saw the guy's hand, her eyes grew quite wide. A wide grin started to form on her lips. She recognized the symbol near immediately as the West Fiore Trading Company's tattoo. She finally takes a sip from her flask before she capped it and sticks it away in it's pouch once more. As he introduced himself, she puts two fingers to her temple and gives a slight salute back to his bow. She has on a cheeky grin as she did indeed feel quite lucky to have come face to face with the Vice President of the very guild she was looking for.

She listened to his speech and raises her eyebrow to the mention of a test, and soon that eyebrow raised, turned to a rather coy smile when the words 'test' and 'challenge' came from Johann's lips. She hooks her right hand on her belt and shifts her weight onto that leg. "I'll be honest... You've peaked my fancy, sir. I can't quite resist a challenge... I most definitely think this guild is for me now. I'm Adalinda Ortinbras." She was aware that he seemed to extend the same information for the fellow not too far from them, and raises an eyebrow to him when she turned to see his response. When he didn't seem to answer yet, she looked back to Johann, and smirks once more.

"I got a couple questions for you first, though." She holds up her free hand, and then holds up her index finger. "I assume you would prefer not to do it here on the dock where there could be casualties... so location that this test will take place at? And two..." She holds up her middle finger along with her index finger while she leans her head to the side slightly while pursing out her lips some. "You planning on taking on taking us both on at the same time if the other guy over there accepts as well? Or just one at a time?" She bet he probably could take them both on at the same time since he was the vice president of a guild. She honestly didn't think that a person couldn't be one if that wasn't the case, unless they were useful in some other way and could help out greatly.

Johann, his lips still forming a gentle smile, eagerly awaited the girls and the strangers response, glad that one of the two seemed more than satisfied with the offer before raising a few questions herself. It was indeed enthusiasm he was looking for, and he would make sure to give this his all, it was for the the group that he had come to see as not just colleagues and friends, but also family, after all. A friendly expression decorating his face, he listened to what the girl had to say, nodding as she finished her last sentence before giving her the answers he hoped she would desire. "First, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ortinbras" he uttered before once more raising his hand to his shoulder for a respectful bow "it is indeed preferable to seek out a remote location to avoid collateral damage. The West Fiore Trading Company enjoys a most excellent reputation all over Fiore and even beyond, and we wouldn't to change that, now, would we ?"

"As for your second concern", the Vice President raised his right hand up, his palm and fingers forming a flat surface before continuing "that is entirely up to you. I extend this offer to anyone interested and willing to listen. Should your friend desire to join us I will, of course, accept the challenge, it would only be fair ..." he answered, a barely noticeable smirk raising one side of his mouth slightly before stretching out his left and right hand, both of them forming a fist. "If you are in want of starting the test right now, you need only take my hand and I will make sure to transport us somewhere remote".

If the other two had no objections and would touch him, a chalk white magic circle would appear beneath their feet, turning them into wind before they would find themselves in the middle of a plain outside of Hargeon, the grassland stretching out from one end of the horizon to the next, with not a soul to be seen far and wide. "I hope this is sufficient" he spoke out after he, too, had reappeared from a stream of wind and set foot onto the grass. He took off his coat, folding it and placing it on the ground a few meters away before turning around to his challengers, his right hand going to his left side and vice versa, each one firmly grasping the hilt of a rapier, pulling them to unsheath the weapons and reveal their blades that reflected off them the shining summer sun. From both hands, flames sprang forth, covering the weapons in scorching fire as his left eye turned completely black, a glowing red pupil in its middle before the elder male calmly spoke out to his opponents "If you have no more questions or objections then I, Johann von Weiss, accept your challenge, your test starts now"

If he were to personally describe the feeling of being openly referred to in a conversation that didn't really involve him in the first place...well most, if not every word in his current vocabulary would fail to perfectly paint the wash of shame that Marco quickly began to succumb to.

Was his presence, much less his motives really that transient for two complete strangers to deduce it so quickly? Perhaps the only person he'd been fooling with his attempt at discreetness was himself.

Should that have been the case, then Marco had all the more reason to harbor the expression that he currently wore, which hypothetically would have been a perfect example of a man's unprecedented shame in regards to himself, the underside of his palm clinging like static to his face as he desperately tried to hide whatever 'weird' look he'd been making for the past several seconds.

'Dammit.' he thought, fingering the straps that converged against his chest, where an uninvited heat started to creep its way into his body, making him severely aware of how royally stupid he'd actually been right then.

On the better side of things, however, it seemed the fates were largely still in favor of him finishing his agenda for the day, regardless of whether or not Marco had to recover from a low-blow to his ego, and even that was more or less self-inflicted, much to his chagrin. The woman, on the other hand, appeared pleased with the prospect, her smile holding her confidence steadfast, even as she chose to give him a knowing look from several meters away.

Marco shook his head briefly, clearing his head from all the trivial hindrances that were his feelings before mentally noting that, after taking one liberal gulp of air, he'd have to be analytical, and calm. There was no reason for him to be anything but critical before the start of what he assumed to be grueling combat. The system thrived on his stability, after all, and he had a specialty in handling the objective.

Though, if he were to mirror the subtle beam of excitement that began to rest about the lady's person as she heard the word challenge, then there might be a possibility that he too, would somehow enjoy the fight with unhinged vigor, despite it not being common for him to do so.

Jing was the battle maniac, not him.

"Heh." he huffed, amused at his consideration of the thought. If anything, this fight might spare Marco a better outlook on fighting as a whole - realize a thrill he'd been devoid of as a result of his stoic nature. And while it was mostly a stretch, there was also an opportunity to better understand his host's exaggerated delight whenever combat of any kind was concerned, which regularly puzzled Marco for what it was worth.

Knowing that the gentleman was cordial enough to include him in his challenge, Marco takes the liberty of pressing forward from his position on the wall, wordlessly resting his hand atop the stranger's, or as he introduced himself, the vice president's open palm before his vision clouds against a burst of light underneath his feet. He'd narrow his eyes on reflex, his senses numbing before they all but come crashing unto him at the drastic shift of their environment. By now, he'd realize that the ground had lost its solidity in place of lush, green strokes, the air replacing its saltiness with the smell of thriving earth.

Marco steadied his perspective of things with several blinks, fully recovering his bearings as the grasslands evenly panned out across his vision. 'A teleport spell?' he thought, tilting his head one way to notice the scarcity of any buildings within a good few meters. Here, either party would have no obstacle to dull their abilities, no civilians to subtly worry about at the back of their heads, no witnesses to report them for the offense of 'disturbing the peace'.

He'd turn back to face his opponent for that time, watching the gentleman brandish a pair of swords before lighting them ablaze. From his shoulder, he could feel the exceed that had gone to sleep stir, her beady eyes catching sight of the bright flames from beyond her moment of fatigue, jolting her awake with a silent yelp.

"What did you get yourself into...?!" she whispered, her words underlined with a frustrated sort of confusion, the type she'd always throw at him for his rash decisions such as this one.

"Something that could hopefully give us some peace of mind." he said, low enough for only her to hear, but loud enough for Meilin to comprehend that it was, at its roots, for Jing's sake.

For a brief moment, Marco wondered if it was a good idea to leave Jing's umbrella back at the inn, but after a second worth's of contemplation, he decided that it was perhaps for the best, for he did not possess the movements to weave it into his battle style as much as his host did. Would this fight play out differently if it were him instead of Marco? Perhaps. Whether or not it'd be a good outcome was something he didn't want to answer though. He'd look the other way to mutely observe his impromptu partner for the fight, having not a single hint at what she was capable of, or what her magic even was - though he'd retract his stare in futility, deciding that her abilities in the works were a far more lucrative option than just pawning it off her appearance.

He didn't make anything good out of assumptions anyway.

"Trust me," he began, steadying his position so his feet were grounded, ready to take action once the first attack was launched, "At least for this one time Meilin."

The exceed voices her agreement with a small nod, her eyes never leaving the flicker of the fire from the other side of the battle field. Satisfied with her answer, the slayer would say nothing in return.

"You don't have to be so formal with me... makes me sound old when you call me 'Mrs. Ortinbras...'" She snickers as she rolls her eyes. She listens in to him talk about the location and about the other person, before lets up a snort. "Well... considering I don't even know who my 'friend' is, I don't think I could call them that yet. Either way, let's get this started." Her ice blue eyes were lit up with pure excitement for this now. She had quickly put her own hand on top of the vice presidents, and glanced over to the guy who had been smoking prior.

When the magic circle came up from under her, Adalinda looks down for a brief second in shock. She wasn't expecting it. She looks up and sees that they're no longer on the dock, and feels the wind whipping through her black and blue hair. "Woah..." She murmurs before nodding as she was rather impressed with what happened. "I hope we don't have to pay anyone for any sort of damage out here... I'm not going to hold back." She grins. She glances over to the other guy, and raises an eyebrow without wiping her smile off her face. "You ready to do this?" She quickly looks back at Johann and notices his flaming swords, snickering to herself. Her only hope, was that it wouldn't hinder her own magic.

Adalinda holds a hand behind her body, and seems to grab at the air before a iron kunai is suddenly there, glinting in the light. After it's fully formed, she grips it tight and brings it around to be at her side. Her eyes never seemed to leave Johann as she studied his stance, slowly crouching into one of her own before she charges after Johann, with her single kunai. After she was a decent distance away from him, just out of range of his swords blades on their own, she quickly jumps off of the ground to get over him. She was intending to let him catch her kunai against at least one of his swords, risking those flames, as a sort of diversion for the other mage to attack as well. She kind of hoped the other mage would take that advantage if she did create a good enough distraction. "Not gonna hold back, are ya old man?" She couldn't help but taunt to their proctor for this test when she flipped herself to land on her feet on the other side of him. Her kunai was gone now, and she only held her hands into fists as she smirks to the other now.

"I thought that was a given, as I will not hold back either. Do your best !" the elder male responded to the girl, his eyes firmly fixed on his temporary adversaries. In reality, he wasn't exactly holding back, but standing there rather passively as Adalinda started advancing towards him, waiting for an attack, trying to gather as much information about his opponents as he could before he'd have to engage. when the knife came flying at him, aimed straight at his chest. For Johann, it was moving at an excruciatingly slow pace, and a mere second before it came close to his body simply shifted through space, turning into shadow before instantly appearing a good 15 meters to the side. He did not know by what magical means the rune was managing to produce this effect, and he did not know how it managed to rip through space itself, but he paid it no mind, trusting his instinct for runery and the elements granted to him by his unusual blood to endow him with the necessary prowess to defeat any and all opponents.

"I do hope that is not the full extend of your abilities" Johann returned the taunt, knowing that in combat not just blows and spells were of importance, but also confidence, moral, the belief in one's own strength. A visible, light grey and glowing aura started to surround the Vice President, and he too assumed his prefered fighting stance, kneeling down to resemble a wolf in sprint before the air he had accumulated and compressed around himself was released explosively, sending dirt and grass flying into every direction as he was catapulted forward at close to 1000 meters per second towards the girl, the enormous speed momentarily producing a colossally loud bang, the characteristic sonic boom, as he ripped through the air, appearing behind his target. His rapiers had retained their aura of scorching flame as the atmosphere showed no effect on Johann, and out of a spin, he swund down the blades towards where the girl was standing, incinerating the area as the flames burst from the weapons, producing pure, black smoke, flame and cinder that now elegantly danced through the air, but at the same time made it hard to see. Whether he had hit her or not he didn't know, but he retreated back a few meters nonetheless, regaining his balance after the attack, focussing on the other two combatants as the smoke cleared.

The next few moments of battle hadn't necessarily blurred for Marco as it would have for the less magically inclined. Rather, there was a characteristic shortage for pause between each movement in regards to both parties, the flow being primarily controlled by the exchange of action and reaction. While the other two prompted the first few seconds of the fight, Marco would have initially taken a step back to analyze the onslaught as it played out before him. All manner of speech appeared to elude his thoughts as he strained his eyes to digest any sort of information from the attacks, though he'd come out from this search with a largely sour expression, having discovered mostly vague points of thought to pull assumptions out of.

This didn't go as planned, and it reeled him further to the edge if he wasn't on the knowing side of things.

Perhaps the one thing that Marco was sure of, however, was the sheer weight of the power outbalance he was sensing from the two as they exchanged blows. A part of him sincerely hoped that it was simply a gut feeling wrenching at his confidence, but the other half appeared to note the gap in experience with relatively high importance.

In his attempt to dull the casualties, he'd cast a sharp, insisting look to his exceed, something that she easily recognized as a call for her to flee momentarily. Meilin wordlessly retracts herself from the curve of his shoulder, where the sound of lightning gathering at his wrists drowned out the noise of her fluttering off in another direction, presumably to retreat back towards the inn.

There was no moment of partial glance as the exceed escaped, no seconds worth of doubt as he hurdled himself into the mess that bubbled up in flames after that last moment of attack from the opposing player - a spell had been released at deathly speeds, though he had only ever managed to escape it due to its intended target, narrowly rolling off to one side as he used the alarming noise that briefly rumbled through the area. The vice president appeared to have directed it at the woman with him, and Marco could only hope she had the ability to avoid it as he pushed his leg back to steady himself from his dodge stunt.

Instinctively, before the dark plumes of smoke completely dispersed, he'd use the small window of pause to fully manifest the spell that he'd been readying for the past minute, the energy leaving his gloved hands as he hurdled two bolts of lightning towards the opposition. Upon their release, the travelling crackles of light would fuse instantaneously, revealing a crude imitation of a large, wild boar, roughly towering over 6 feet in height. It'd charge at a relatively easy speed for the gentleman, Marco assumed, and it'd only take a matter of seconds to avoid or dispel.

Whatever mode of action the man would choose to take, Marco would move to instantiate his next follow-up regardless, fine little streams of electricity bundling up at his fist as he ran to one side.

Adalinda was surprised when Johann had moved before she could touch him, and quickly locks her head on him as he was a distance away now. As her taunt was returned, her eyes crinkles as she grinned and stuck her tongue out. "Like hell is it all I got! Maybe if I was twenty years older, but never right now!" She laughs with amusement before she notices that he is getting into a strange stance to her. As he launches herself, she let up a slight yelp and flinches to cover her ears at the sound of the sonic boom. It hurt her ears quite a bit, making them ring in pain. She growls to herself as she forces herself not to close her eyes due to the ringing that the Vice President caused to her.

A moment later, she paled a bit at the fact that she felt someone behind her. "Oh crap..." She breaths before she quickly goes to dodge the attack as the flames came at her. She had quickly called forth a spell while holding her arms above her head in an X formation. When the smoke was starting to clear, she jumps back a couple paces when she notices the lightning and hears the crackle of it. As the smoke was cleared from the area, they'd see Adalinda was still holding her arms up in a blocked stance as she glares between her fists at Johann. Her skin was grey and had scales covering every visible piece of skin on her.

She had a nasty grin on her face as she looks to Johann. "That would have been bad..." She snickers as she glances at the lightning boar that towered over her. She let up a screech as she jumped out of the way of the boar and her blue, now dragon-like, eyes was a bit confused at it. She looks over to the other guy and puffs her cheeks up a bit. "C'mon! I'm here! What is with people nearly hitting me who are supposed to be considered an ally?!" She groans rather loudly. She grips her hand into a fist as she looks at Johann once again. "Now or never I suppose." She chuckles as she wasn't going to back down so easily. "Try aiming at him next time!" She snickers and stands ready for Johann to launch another attack before she runs after him herself again.

Johann's eyes widened as his eyes locked on the girl, mumbling "Metal ?" under his breath as, from his left flank, a monstrosity crashed forward with explicit force, looking like it would break everything in its path. He was quick to act, flipping through the air with supreme agility and reflexes as the lightning boar struck the ground where he had stood less than a moment ago, sending sparks flying everywhere. He had not expected the attack, and had he not had his peculiar blood he probably would've had to suffer a blow, landing to hear the girl complain. Johann knew that the two weren't all too familiar with each other, and noted the lack of teamwork in the back of his mind, at least for now. "Metal and lightning, hm ? A peculiar combination ..." it rang through his head as the girl broke her block and, again, started charging. "I suppose it's only fair then, it's two against one, after all" the Vice President calmly spoke out before the runes that covered the lower left half of his body, arm and chest dug their way through his flesh, burning themselves into the skin and quickly spreading over his entire body, his other eye turning black as they reached it, an aura of crimson red, bursting energy surrounding the man's body, greatly enhancing both senses and strength.

Johann was still staring at the girl running towards him, quickly sheathing his blades, thus dispelling the flames, to free up his hands. Against her, he figured, this tactic would prove useless, trying something different as he activated another rune that he hoped would prove more effective, surrounding his hands in an aura of absolute cold that started freezing even the air, bits of ice and snow falling to the ground and instantly melting as they hit it. The extraordinarily frigid aura would freeze everything upon touch, and so, he took another stance, reading himself for melee combat with the girl while keeping an eye out for the other challenger, waiting for an attack.

Marco had never been the sort to fail his calculations, though there was the exception where he was susceptible to a bad case of tunnel vision once or twice, a weakness in his character that often contributed to his inability to account for the other things into his equations. This had especially seemed to dull his adaptability to team-play, after realizing too late that he forgot to predict his pseudo-partner's next line of action, his face somewhat paling as his awareness rose. Having cast that rather messy lightning spell that traversed a straightforward path, he was almost for certain that she'd get caught in its trajectory. Thankfully, the lady appeared to have maneuvered her body one way to avoid it altogether, where, underneath the light of day, Marco would realize that her skin was now a covered in a shiny grey pigment - Metallic scales? Was she perhaps...?

He shook his head once, casting the trivial thoughts somewhere far from his focus as he landed on his feet again, realizing that their adversary had already dispersed his spell and that it was more or less a prompt for him to continue his line of attack. Initially, he considered the boar as a way of gauging the gentleman's instincts, and he did appear to have fairly sharp awareness as expected of his auric presence.

"Apologies for that, miss..." he said in between breaths, hoping she'd hear him as he shifted his position behind her, bright sparks slithering across the expanse of his arms and unto his torso. Marco steadied with a sharp inhale, watching the vice president sheathe his weapons as the lady with him charges, unrelenting. A frosty sort of glow gathered at the other man's fingertips, and it wasn't difficult to associate an affinity with ice from the way it manifested.

Sensing the need for a closure in distance, he'd follow along after her, careful to not come too close to the lady's running form before stopping a few meters behind. Wordlessly, Marco clusters his fingers together in a taut clasp, generating as much energy as he could muster within a few breaths before he lets go, a large sphere of electricity relieving itself from his hands and into the space above his head, erupting into sparks almost instantaneously without forethought. The sparks, upon closer inspection, appear to have gained the likeness of monarch butterflies, fluttering freely across the area they all currently inhabited.

Should their enemy move to attack them in any way, a subsequent electric explosion would ensue. The assurance of pain wasn't a guarantee, however, considering the gentleman's upperhand in terms...of...well, experience most likely.

Whatever sort of plan Marco was currently going through appeared to be extremely vague, though he, at best, clung to the small possibility of a window of chance appearing at any given time. As he readied another spell, a faint, almost audible crackle came from his person as he moved his arms, his breathing quickening ever so slightly.

She glances back behind her for a moment to see the other mage following in suit to her. A grin slowly crept on her face. "Change of plans. Aim at me. And make sure I get behind him when you do let out another bolt." She simply mutters as she goes to run faster, trying to pump herself into a sprint. Her hair was whipping wildly behind her as she was getting a thrill from this. Adalinda's plan was to use her weakness to attract lightning to her, to help with getting their proctor for them. She then starts to shake her right arm a bit, and it seemed to get a glint shine over from her fingertips to halfway down her forearm.

She was guessing that the vice president had been holding back on them a bit. Wanting to drive them harder to show their power to him. When he stuck his swords away, she was thinking he wasn't going to hold back, but when she saw the ice and snow, she started to falter. She nearly tripped on her feet before she diverted her course a bit. That slowed her down as she quickly inspected the snow and ice. "Why couldn't he have just stuck with the fire...? Melting is better than rusting..." She groans to herself and leans her head back a little. She sensed the electricity behind her, and dared to look back to see the electrified... butterflies? Adalinda shakes her head and looks to Johann once more. She would have to face it head on. She bit her tongue a little as she ran towards the left side of the older mage. She guessed he would move, but she was trying to reach out with her right hand to grab his left shoulder. If she managed to grab his shoulder, he would feel an iron tight grip as she would wheel around him and stick to his back.

Johann was somewhat surprised by Adalinda's relentless assault, the woman bursting towards him in a full sprint. It was rather sluggish for the Vice President, but such was only natural for the man in accordance with the powers he created through his magic and the abilities granted to him by his blood. He made no effort to evade her or dodge in any way, the aura of frost still covering his hands as he waited for her to come into melee range, failing in not one, but two ways: First, he himself did not notice, but tunnel vision ensued, his focus shifting solely to the woman that came storming at him, somewhat disregarding the other stranger that launched an attack that would prove more than successful. Second, a tactical blunder, he had underestimated his enemies, more specifically, the level of power on the red haired stranger ... stranger ? Johann made a small mental note to ask for the man's name after, a duell without etiquette was not honorable, after all.

Additionally, he had underestimated the ferocity of the girl that had now gotten close to him, close enough for Johann to strike but he was somewhat startled by his opponent as the girl tried to grab him. He took a step back but it was too late, the girl had gotten a firm hold of his shoulder and he, instinctively, grabbed her arm with the still active frost spell. It would probably have a reduced effect against the metal-covered limb but still hurt quite a bit nonetheless, still, it was too late, the woman spinned around, maneuvering through the air and getting behind Johann using her momentum before firmly attaching herself to the man's back. Now was the moment where his other mistake would show, a multitude of butterfly-like sparks rushing towards him and the girl, exploding viciously upon contact, covering him, the girl and the immediate surroundings in white flashes of electricity. One hit Johann's shoulder directly, scorching his shirt and the skin beneath, a large black spot now covering it. Yet, the Vice President grinned, thinking to himself just one word "Excellent !".

Initially, Marco had always been largely against making proper use of Jing's butterfly trick, though his reasons were harmlessly shallow that it pains him to voice his problems with it. Between staying quiet and casting it, however, existed not much of a difference in his regard, for not only are both a low blow to his pride, but neither appeared to address the true, underlying question - what was going through Jing's mind when he thought it was a good idea to model this spell after butterflies? Trivial as it might have been, a sense of humiliation started to slightly shake the confidence on Marco's face for a few momentary breaths as the spell extracted from his person. If he were to catch sight of the somewhat confused expression that his lady companion harbored after his little stunt, it could have been possible for him to make a face that was uncharacteristic of his 'stoic' persona.

Thankfully, he hadn't, for there was something else that managed to quickly steal his attention, his senses alarmed at the sound his brain registered through the sounds of battle, a small part of him curious as to what happened during the subsequent explosion that followed a few seconds after.

"MARCO!" came the high notes of Meilin's scream, her small, lithe body darting through the sky above with a frenzied look skewing her usually condescending cat face. In her paws was a familiar object, one that the ginger hadn't expected to see, much less use - but even more so, there clearly was a tinge of surprise that graced Marco's features upon the exceed choice to disobey his plead for her to stay away and seek shelter. In his head, the ginger would carefully ingrain it into his system to reprimand her should the odds lead her to undoing.

Anything but that, he thought, bitterly.

The exceed moved to discard the item from her clutch, gravity immediately playing its role as it plummeted towards him, a grin of accomplishment stretching Meilin's face as she watched the ginger retrieve it with ease, marveling at her 'great timing'. Her victory was shortly celebrated, however, as the she caught wind of Marco mouthing 'Thanks, now get out of here before you get hurt!' with such a force that it was hard to continue forward as she planned.

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" she said with a slightly dejected tone, though it went unheard as Marco prepared the item, sending small crackles through its structure, bringing the weapon to life with a low, almost inaudible hum.

He hadn't been present during the entire process that involved Stormbinder's manufacturing, as Jing was the mastermind of its whole scheme, putting him at a better position than Marco when it came to using the weapon in battle. But from what little information he was given through the exceed's somewhat vague explanation of how it worked, he need only feed a bit of his energy into its handle, and it should function like a gun upon pressing the trigger. He breathed in once, watching the two engage in a close fight before readying the umbrella in his hand.

With his second breath, his entire body would dissipate, condensing into a slither of lightning as he relocated himself to an area towards the right with a few meters to spare between him and the other two. In those short seconds, the ginger thought of the woman's plea to hit her directly - something that caused his temple to crease in confusion, but he'd acknowledge it either way. Should the explosion prove to not meet her expectations, Marco could only hope that Stormbinder would aid in whatever plan she had in mind.

Once his body finally planted itself on solid ground, Marco would deftly pull at the trigger on Stormbinder's shaft, the action creating a small stream of lightning-fused bullets to leave its tip. After around 40 rounds leaving the weapon's mechanism, the ginger would begin to prepare his legs, his body pushing the restless energies in his body to gather there in an attempt to collect a bit of momentum.

When the black haired mages' arm had been grabbed, she let up a slight yelp and grits her teeth as she tightened her grip. Her arm had gotten colder than she expected it to when he grabbed her. Adalinda begin swearing under her breath and quickly grabs her alcohol for a quick swing, she needed a boost, and a way to numb her arm so the cold wouldn't get to her. The alcohol helped to also numb her body from the little tingles from the butterflies shocking her a little as well through the metal of her spell. She looks at Johann with her icy blue eyes, boring into him and trying to will him to let go before either of them got hurt though, even though her right arm felt stiff as can be. She clenches her jaw as she lets her eyes trail over to where her partner was.

She spotted the flying cat not too far from him, and the umbrella that was now in his hand. What was he even doing? She looks back to Johann and saw his grin, and she started to worry that she chewed off more than she should have. "What is with that damn smile...?" The worry was clear in her voice as it was low for Johann to hear her.

The flash from the guy leaving his original spot got her attention, and she blinked till she smelled him not too far from her. Her eyes glance to him, noticing that he was now to the opposite side of her and the vice president. She blinks as she was confused about what he was doing, till the other mage started to take a stance. The way he held his umbrella, made her grow wide eyed and seem to panic a bit. "Oh crap! I was expecting bolts of lightning!" She cries out again, in a rather girly fashion unintentionally, before she slips to Johann's left side to avoid attracting the lightning bullets directly. She pries her fingers off of Johann's shoulder, feeling her magic start to disappear. The grey scales started to change back to her pale skin, and her grip wasn't as tight as it had been before as the spell was being released.

Words: 375Total: 2,746

Adalinda's Stats:

HP: 34%MP: 25%

Iron Dragon's Scales: 3 post duration (3 of 3), once per threadIron Dragon's Fist: Up to 3 post duration during Iron Dragon's Scales (2 of 2), once per thread

The Vice President kept his smile up, barely hiding the fact that he was enjoying this situation greatly as the thrill of the hunt enveloped his mind. The explosions and the electricity around them started to fade away, and he watched as one of his adversaries received his mysterious gift before he shifted into lightning, getting closer and seeming more than intent to use it all while the girl that had been attached to him now seemed intimidated by the man's assault, letting go of Johann just a second before the volley of magically infused projectiles left the peculiar weapon. Johann acted immediately, and as the wound on his shoulder closed and the skin shifted back into its original state, leaving only the burned shirt as evidence that he had ever received the hit, he calmly spoke the words that would activate one of the most special set of runes in his possession, "Indomabilis".

The runes on his right shoulder unleashed some of their power and started glowing in a deep, royal blue, endless as the ocean. The effect could be felt immediately as time started to slow down to a point where all around the Vice President was moving as if in slow motion. His opponents had seemingly stopped in their motion, moving at just a snail's pace while the hail of spark-covered projectiles were still on their way towards both Johann and Adalinda, seemingly floating through the space between them. The WFTC mage lost not a second, coating his right hand in a layer of pressurized air before storming forward to meet the one that had unleashed the volley onto them, utilizing his inhuman speed to elegantly avoid the bullets in flight while simultaneously making sure they would continue their path towards the girl, appearing before the red haired male moments later, his fist racing towards the man as time returned to its normal flow. If he would hit his opponent directly, the built up pressure would be released in a literally explosive manner, damaging him and launching him back violently.

In many ways, Marco practiced some semblance of pride when referring to his logic, and, by extension, his analytical nature. Much unlike his host's taste for raw battle-play, his was a layered approach that he made sure to think of all the possible outcomes. He was not to underestimate, nor was he to overestimate. That much had long been regarded as a staple in the way he fights, in assurance that there was little margin of error involved.

This, however, was a possibility that Marco had disparagingly overlooked, a moment that escaped his safety net.

A foreboding chill slipped into the bumps of his spine as he realized, grimly, that their enemy all but disappeared from his previous position, and it took him only a few short breaths of pause to express his shock, the face beneath the fedora paling significantly, before a wash of profound pain overrode any other thought that his brain wanted to process at that time, where reactions were cut and dulled and yielded.

Everything else appeared to go still in his current realm of thinking as the ginger's body was visibly thrown off course from the ensuing explosion, briefly being rendered airborne before flying backward, skidding across the earth and grass with several heavy thumps, fine little blood drops trailing from where his person collided with the surrounding vegetation. It wasn't until the tumbling motion ceased that his brain processed the shots of agony with short bursts of lightning spiraling over his limbs in response to the damage - a brief pause in his efforts to move as he breathed once, to remind him that he was still alive, and twice, to collect his thoughts and to bury the singing pain, willing it to numb.

"S-shit...." he said, the disappointment in his tone more or less directed at himself.

Although the thrashing that he received was justified, and, if he must admit, a good move, Marco hadn't the slightest intention to remain there, bitter over his loss of footing. Instead, while the damage still coursed through his backside, the ginger would climb to his knees, his arms perching Stormbinder vertically as a form of leverage to stabilize his standing position. Damn, did it hurt to stand, but he would still do it either way, the small trail of blood that traced down his jaw becoming a tangible reminder for him that this, in all its agonizing, crimson glory, is the reality of combat.

Thankfully for him, his host managed to layer another one of his experiments beneath his clothes, and Marco was at least smart enough to keep it on him unlike the unorthodox umbrella-gun. As soon as it realized the hectic energies that bled through his skin, Jing's special set of bandages slithered into activation, curling and clinging unto the ginger's body protectively, leaving but his eyes and some of his hair untouched by the peculiar garment. It wouldn't be much later until Marco would actually begin to realize the effects of his host's experimental 'Plan B', so he opted, while he was still at a safe distance, to undo some of it while he still had the chance.

Slamming his fists together, the ginger quickly begins to conjure as much lightning as he can, the amount equivalent to what was needed of him to cast Jing's boar trick, or any spell of that rank if at all. His awareness of his limited time seemed to be the primary reason for his frenzy as he immediately withdrew withdrew his arms, releasing a burst of energy that would course backward, unto him, leaving in its path a relief that he relished with a placid, stoic face. The energies moved rapidly, it seems, the pain dissipating and a good portion of the strength that Marco would have lost largely returning, but not without a price. With that stunt resulted in another of the boar's 'pause', as he liked to call it, disabling him from utilizing it again.

It was a bittersweet sacrifice if it were to be regarded in a theatrical sense, but nevertheless trivial. Marco shook the disappointment off his face as he wordlessly snatched Stormbinder off the ground, before, ultimately, charging forward in a gamble of chance that he decided was worth the risk, for he was not the sort of man to give up before going down.

When Johann was suddenly gone, Adalinda grits her teeth. She wasn't expecting it. She quickly realized the lightning bullets were coming at her, and quickly jumps out of the way by throwing herself to the ground and rolling away a bit. She looks back to the other mage just as he was knocked back by the blast of air by their proctor. That could have been bad if she didn't be careful. She could have gotten herself hurt. She needed more magic.

Adalinda slowly closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she snarls. A moment later, she looks around the area and huffs. She couldn't sense any iron too close to her. Why did they have to be in a field far away from town? She grumbles to herself as she puffs her cheeks up and looks to the two once again. "You having fun toying with us here?" She growls as she stands up properly. She was glaring a little at Johann, wondering if that would entice him to react to her. Yeah, she already let herself take a beating from him, but maybe she could still take a few more hits. Up against Johann? Maybe just one hit. Probably a love tap even and she would be done for with how strong he seemed to be compared to her. She grits her teeth as she interlocks her knuckles together before she cracks them all together. She couldn't take that. Her pride was too much to admit she wasn't strong yet. She needed to be stronger.

"Kay bud!" She calls out to the other mage. "Do me a favor and don't try to hit me again now." She huffs as she realized she had almost used her Curse before. It could have helped her out dodging the bullets earlier, but she needed her magic for at least a bit longer. "I need more iron..." She saw what the other mage was doing, thinking he was going to aim another spell at her, and it made her groan as he sent it over himself instead. She pinches her nose and takes a deep breath. She clenches her hands into fists and prepares herself to go after Johann once more, or see if he'd come after her this time. She didn't have that much she could do to ward him off now that she had already used her dragon scales. "Heavens... don't take me now." She mutters as she runs after the Vice President again.

A more or less sinister grin spread across the Vice President's face when he felt the force of the impact that launched the red haired man back and off his feet before quickly regaining his composure. He didn't mean for this side to shine through, but his opponents were giving him a ... very interesting fight, and the sweet sting of combat was something that Johann had a weakness for. The explosions were music to the man, the pain a virtue. But he knew that he had gotten carried away, his fellow Vice President would probably frown upon his actions, the man now recovering from the stance of his attack to hear Adalinda shout at him, glancing over his shoulder and back to see her charging once more, he turned his head back forward to see her partner get back up as well. "You two won't give me a break hm ? ... Good" he mumbled more to himself than anyone else before he, too, got ready to continue the brawl. He knew he had to end this quickly, one way or another, and he decided to go with the other.

Johann had noticed that the two started to work together more, the girl favouring close quarters melee combat while the man seemed to prefer ranged attacks. He had, in an effort to bring distance between himself and Adalinda, targeted him before her to play out their perceived weaknesses against them, and with that he readied another spell, surrounding himself in a grey glow before he, once more,got down on his legs and arms, the stance reminiscent of a wolf. The air that was being pulled towards him and compressed caused the air to hum strangely and in mere moments he was ready to launch himself off at extreme speed again, this time aiming it at the other male that had gotten up again, covered now in strange bandages. Johann paid that little mind to that fact anymore, but he did note the ferocity and determination of both his opponents, and for him, this fight was pretty much over. "Just a little more", the Vice President thought to himself before the air around him exploded for the last time, sending him flying like a bullet as the sound barrier was once again breached with the loud and unique boom.

In flight, Johann did something unexpected, the runes on his body binding together, ripping through the back of his clothing to form a pair of black, runic wings that lifted him up almost immediately, using his momentum to launch himself up rather than forward as he soared through the air before he came to a stop a good 50 meters above the ground, hovering in place while he stared down at the two with his black left eye and his now strangely glowing right. "You have fought valiantly, my friends. If you want, I will personally pass on your applications to our CEO ..." Johann was quick to follow up though, just in case the two thought that the fight was already over "... but, that does not mean that I give up just yet. I acknowledge your competence as fighters, prove to me now that you are persistent enough to be a part of the West Fiore Trading Company !". He was finished shouting down to them and, wordlessly and with a stoic expression, he brought his hands together, a ripple skimming through the skies as he did so.

For Johann, this was an all or nothing situation. Practically, the other two had already won: If he'd miss the attack, and there was a substantial chance that he would, it was more or less of an experiment and the spell wouldn't reach its full potential, after all, the other two had automatically won. His body wasn't strong enough yet and he would expend most of his magic energy for this spell, leaving him with not enough to take the two of them on. If he'd hit and not take them out, which was likely, he was sure that the two were clever enough to find a way to block or evade the attack somehow. If he would take them out ... well, that wasn't planned for. But that wouldn't happen, surely.

In any case, between Johann's fingers a small sphere started to form, beginning to become increasingly visible as the spell sucked in a great quantity of air while simultaneously compressing it more and more. The sheer amount of pressure that was required to just hold the spell was unfathomable for normal people, and it placed on Johann's body a great, painful strain that was pulling and stretching his muscles. He hoped he could spare himself the embarrassment of losing control over the spell with its energy unloading back on its user as it would not only demonstrate the instability of this attack, it would also most likely rip his body apart and scatter the pieces over all of this peaceful steppe. Much to his appreciation he was able to hold the finished sphere in his hands, and he could feel the glowing heat and energy emanating from it bursting through the space between his fingers. An object solely made of simple air, gases compressed to a point where the release of pressure and the ensuing explosion would create heat and kinetic energy rivaling that of, for a lack of a better term, shit-ton of explosive mass. Lucky for everyone involved the spell would be weaker than the finished product, but it didn't stop the Vice President from releasing the sphere, shot out of his hands with the same compressed air, breaking them with a loud crack before they immediately rearranged themselves back to their original state as the projectile rushed down towards the ground, tumbling sideways in flight before it hit the ground. He couldn't exactly make out where, but for just a moment, Johann's head went numb when nothing happened before an enormous explosion shook the ground, the shock wave launching him back as he struggled to keep himself in the air. He opened his eyes to see a cloud of dust and smoke rising up from a crater down below, but failed to make out more details.

He rushed down towards the ground, coughing a bit as he started breathing in the dust that was throwing off his senses, landing close to the point of impact before looking around, ready to admit his opponents' victory and spend the rest of his magical energy on healing the damage he had caused ...

Oddly enough, though it was a governing rule in their system of three that Marco upheld the stability like the pillars of any functional structure, he was, at that time, appearing far from fitting the role of the cool, level-headed person that he was entitled to maintain. He was more than just a little bit rattled, for there was a foreign sense of panic invading his mind that could be barely contained, bleeding out unintentionally into his limbs and causing his actions to be dowsed in hysteria - he ran, and ran faster still, with the intention of remaining steadfast upon his feet, regardless if he were to fail a few seconds later. He'd repeat the pointless cycle if need be while he still supported the strength to accomplish it, if not to merely prove a point that was, at that moment, extremely trivial.

This was not fear, that much he knew, but rather, this was desperation; an ugly, untamed feeling that was born from the warnings of danger nipping at his instincts. Marco had been painfully aware of how much he's exhausted in the past few minutes, realizing that he was not properly equipped to fight at long intervals, especially with his style of combat that was time-consuming, as much as it was draining. There was little space for blunder now, he thinks, his finger quivering slightly as it steadied close to Stormbinder's trigger.

Then, their opponent darted upwards with a flair befitting his form, somewhere a good meters above the ground, far from their current reaches, and Marco could feel his legs giving way to a yield as the immediate response, however frustrated he was at the drastic change in position. The muscles that padded itself across his body tingled and cried out in unrest, yet he'd will his brain to ignore the various pain receptors, casting his attention to the gentleman spoke to them about valiance, competency, persistence as the air gathered with unearthly command into his hands.

As a creature of habit, Marco conformed to his cautiousness on impulse, one of his legs arching back as if ready to turn back upon even the slightest amount of danger far too unprecedented for him to face head on. A strong grit appeared to stiffen his jaw, however, his body full of contradictions as his instincts and thoughts were in chaotic disagreement with each other. It wasn't until the attack was actually rendered upon them that he decided, bitterly, that he'd comply to his inherent tendencies and fall back, his pupils dilating in horror as the sphere raced towards his location.

"Minchia!"

With adrenaline pushing his body to retreat, Marco applies a spell unto his person, compressing his very essence into a bolt of lightning that evacuated ten meters back. Unfortunately for the ginger, the impeding explosion would have already occurred before he was able to fully traverse the way he'd intended to go, cutting his focus short as the earth trembled appropriately. The firefly trick was left to be undone, his body materializing as it flew backward for the second time, singed grass and fragments of earth trailing closely behind him in tumbles. Though he narrowly managed to free himself from the immediate vicinity of the explosion, that didn't imply he was able to reach safety, for it was much to his regrettable luck that he wasn't able to escape the force of the attack that spread outward with a monstrous roar. One thing lead to another was perhaps the best summary of his misfortune, and while he was thrashed about, he found the thought incredibly amusing.

He laughed, dryly, as his body finally ceased its crude mimicry of the conventions of a rubber ball and the noises all but calmed, the aftermath playing out finely as smoke plumes reached upward to meet the clouds. He coughed, a bit of blood gathering at his mouth that had traveled upward from his throat, the source of it escaping him as he agonizingly flipped himself over, his eyes now clear from the grime of fresh dirt as he offered the too bright sky a single glance.

It was only then that he realized that he was missing both his hat and the umbrella-gun, and the bandage that protectively clung to him had been undone, perhaps due to absorbing the brunt of the damage he should have taken from that stunt. He'd search for the two items later, he decided, for there were other things that deserved the greater importance.

Words would have failed him then as the pain in his limbs caught up to him, his breath lowering to a sorry sigh as he was made aware of the state of his left arm, where the blood gushed out in copious amounts from an exposed, broken bone and bundles of flayed skin, the sight a reminiscent to a grotesque fountain only seen in theatrical horror. He inhaled sharply as he tried to bend the arm back to its original position, but it was far too undo-able, and Marco feared that he might accidentally mutilate the physical vessel that obviously wasn't his alone.

The unsavory injury, as he thought, might have been a result of the violent motion he succumbed to from the attack, and the ginger could only manage to showcase his disdain with a low groan, shakily dragging his body upward as he cradled his broken left arm by the wrist with his right, which had thankfully survived the ordeal, albeit with a few tiny gashes and bumps that would no doubt leave bright purple reminders in a few hours. The soreness in his body made each breath uncomfortable, though he'd press on, taking the liberty to exercise but a single step, and then another, and one more, until his body could be seen limping slightly from beyond the dispersing smoke, dots of red littering the way he came.

'I'm still alive...' he thought quietly, gritting his teeth even as his left hand warranted him an urge to scream, 'I...can...still fight...'

A bright, electrified light spread throughout his good hand, pulsing with a crackle that almost appeared determined, hopeful. First, he'd fashion himself with a small healing spell to better his current condition, albeit even for a little, then he'd do everything in his power, and whatever was left of it, to attack.

"I...ha...hope the signorina...managed to dodge that...at least." he mumbled.

As soon as Adalinda saw Johann go down in the strange stance again, she skids herself to a stop and quickly tries to run out of his path. She shakes her right hand a bit before it starts to form into a rather long claw on her hand. She quickly shoves her hand in the ground, anchoring herself to the ground just before the vice president let loose his magic once more. She braces her head when she felt the blast of air and quickly makes her left hand a claw as well to hold herself down better against the blast of air. She let out a growl when the sonic boom was set off, not liking it one bit again.

When she hears something ripping, Adalinda looks up slowly, only to see Johann going up into the air. "What the hell...?" She mutters as she rips her hands out of the earth before she made the claws disappear. She watches him go up into the sky for a moment. What in the world was this guy doing? She squints to see his hands starting to do something. "I have a very bad feeling about this..." She starts to back up a bit. She knew that would simply spell trouble for her if she stayed right there, so she begun to try to get out of range of, whatever that was, before he launched it. She gasps as she looks back and sees him launching a ball of air at the ground. She panics a second before it hit the ground and an explosion came, starting to push at her back.

She quickly closes her eyes and calms herself down for just a second. Then time started to slow down around Adalinda, and she was able to quickly jump out of the way of the explosion and used the slowed down time to her advantage. "Thank you, curse." She mutters as she quickly runs about another 10 meters out of the way, as far as she guessed the explosion would happen. When she released her curse, Adalinda was still knocked back just a bit, but it wasn't even close to as bad as it would have been when she originally slowed down the time. She was simply knocked onto her butt. For a moment, she stayed quiet while she covered her mouth from the flying dust, and watches what was going on around her. She grabs hold of her flask and brings it to her lips again, feeling like she needed a sip after that. Slowly, she starts to head towards the blast sight, having just barely seen Johann go down into the smoke.

She walks in through the smoke, and suddenly see the other mage's hat on the ground. "Musta dropped when it went of..." She picks it up and goes stumbling about a moment. It actually didn't take her too long to find him through the dirt and dust about them as it was starting to settle about. She had heard his comment about, who she assumed was, her.

"If you're talking about me? Yeah, I'm golden. I'm not frail. I'm a Dragon Slayer." She replies to the other. She crouches down by him, and looks to his arm as he had healed it while she approached. "This would happen to be yours, yes?" She hands him his hat, and then reached into a pouch on her belt while pulling out a roll of cloth to hand to him. "I'm Adalinda. And you seem like you need a bandage for your arm." She stands up as she was feeling sluggish. Her body had been stressed by her curse, a poor side effect that she always hated whenever she used it. The dust was starting to clear a bit more and she growls as she spotted who she was looking for. She honestly had to admit, despite that last spell, she had a thrill with this 'challenge' he gave them. She let up a sharp whistle for the other to hear them as she crossed her arms over her chest and stomped after him. "Hey! Mr Vice President! Did you enjoy yourself?" She growls out to him.